Your Place at the Docks
by IxLovexGreen
Summary: This is how you two came to be.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

You are sitting at the front part of the dock, watching several unknown men loading yet another sub. It's become some sort of a ritual for you. You've been doing that for the last couple of weeks now. As far as you know they always have one spot left for you if you just chose to stand up and walk over to the sub and asked to come on board.

But you don't.

You are waiting for the sound of foot steps on the wood and sure enough, just a few moments later, you can detact some and they are coming closer. But not as fast and determined as they usually did, yet you are certain it's him. It's always him. It's always him stopping you from leaving this hated place.

He sits next to you, he is close enough for you to feel his warmth, but he's not touching you at all. You're sitting next to each other, both your legs dangling over the edge, your feet nearly touching the dark water, but you won't make eye contact. To everyone else, you're sure, this would have looked quite peaceful, you are not so sure.

"I never meant for this to happen."

You look down into the water, a small smile tugging at the corner of your mouth. "James," is all you say. You don't want him to start all over again. Even though you find it sort of cute, you really cannot live through another speech. How he is sorry you all ended up in 1974, how he is sorry you've lost everything you ever cared about, that he wants you to stay. But then you realise it's very much possible he's talking about something different entirely. "I know. You don't have to apologize, James."

He is looking at you now, you can feel his eyes on you. "You ain't knowing what I'm talkin' about, Wiseass," he replies and you know better than to take it as an insult.

"You want to apoligze for kissing me, James. But I know you did it to convince me to stay, so you wouldn't be alone here. I can understand that. We've all done much worse so we wouldn't be alone. I found it curious though that you haven't spoken to me during the last two weeks... when all you wanted was not to be alone." You're still looking into the dark water. It's calming your soul, keeps you at bay.

"I ain't here to apologize for kissing you, Juliet."

The usage of your actual name is enough for you to finally lift your head and turn to look at him directly. Your right eyebrow is cocked, but you're not sure whether it's because he isn't here to aplogize for kissing you or because he used your real name. But then again, it doesn't really matter. "Then you are here to give me your usual speech again, James? I know it worked in the past, but I have i_nothing_/i left for me to stay. I can finally leave this forsaken Island and I really don't see why I shouldn't."

You see him frown, shadowing his eyes even more than the darkness had done already. "You think you can return to your life? Have you checked the date lately? There may be nothing on this Island to keep you here, but what is out there you want to return to?"

"This has nothing to do with running ito/i something, it's escaping ifrom/i something, James. I have no idea what to expect out there, but I know that everything is better than this place!", you return and for some reason you feel challenged and the need to defend yourself. "I have no reason whatsoever to stay." You've calmed your voice again now, put the mask of composure back on. You feel a lot safer this way.

"What if I gave you a reason?"

You are taken aback by this, but you make sure not to show anything on your face, it remains emotionless, nearly uninterested, when all you want is to beg him to give you a reason, a reason not to run, to move on, to i_live_/i again. But when you say, "What could you possibly give me, James?", it sounds almost cold. You can't keep up this facade and continue looking at him so you watch the sub longingly again.

"If you just had let me finish, Blondie!", you hear him complain, but you also notice the nervousness in his voice he wants to hide. You have to smile a little at that, but you don't say anything, allowing him to say whatever he wants to say. "When I say I never meant for this to happen, I ain't talking about kissin' you or the situation we're in. After sitting here with you and kissin' you two weeks ago I realised now why I don't want you to leave. It ain't have anything to do with with me being alone or not, I've always been alone, ya know. And I don't mind. But it's just that, I ain't want you to leave, to be without you, Juliet. I kissed ya, because I wanted to." He paused and you didn't know what to say. Then he went on, "I want to kiss you right now."

Now you can't help but look up again. You have to see for yourself whether he means it or not and you're surprised to see nothing but honesty in his eyes, except maybe a mixture of nervousness and fear. Again something in the situation causes you to smile. You know that if you want to leave this place you would have to hurry, because the sub was leaving any minute, but you are rooted to your spot next to him. Unmoving, just looking at him. There is a growing tension between you and him, you can't help but notice that, but it shouldn't be like that.

Until now you had thought you knew everything about James Ford that there was to know about him, but now you've realised that there is more to him; that maybe if you allowed yourself to be drawn to him you wouldn't get hurt. Maybe he would keep you safe. Those were a lot of maybes and usually you aren't one to fall for something uncertain or i_someone_/i, but right now you can't help yourself. "Give me a reason, James," you nearly plead him; you remember how good it had felt to be safe in his embrace two weeks ago.

So he lifts his hand to caress your cheek and pull you closer towars him until your lips and his carefully and reluctantly touch. This is how you two came to be.

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Reviews of any kind are always welcome :)


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